Maionese De Leite: The Eggless Mayonnaise Made From Milk
According to Statista, the best-selling condiment in the U.S. Between 2019 and 2021 was mayonnaise. Besides its incredibly rich taste and creamy texture, mayo's versatility plays a huge role in its popularity. It can be used for salad dressings, marinating meat, or even for whipping up the perfect jalapeño dipping sauce — it can do just about anything! But, there's a variant of mayo you most likely haven't heard of before that offers virtually the same texture and taste but with a twist: it doesn't use eggs.
Maionese de Leite (aka milk mayonnaise) is a light and creamy condiment commonly found in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. Unlike traditional mayonnaise, which uses egg yolk as an emulsifier, maionese de Leite uses whipped milk and oil as an emulsifier. Because of this, the resulting condiment has the silky texture of quality mayo without having a mote of egg protein in it. The difference from regular mayo is most noticeable in the addition of a gentle olive oil flavor. The milk also brings a subtle sweetness and tang that complements the new taste really well!
You can use Maionese de Leite just like regular mayo, though besides having a slightly different flavor, the texture of this new condiment is also a bit lighter and creamier. The changes are mild enough that you'll likely get used to the new experience soon enough. In fact, if you hate the eggy taste of regular mayo, you might love it right away!
Read more: The 20 Best Olive Oils For Cooking
How Is Maionese De Leite Made?
Fortunately, making maionese de Leite is extremely simple and shouldn't take more than a couple of hours from start to finish. Start by mixing chilled whole milk with lemon juice, garlic, and white pepper. Blend this mixture until frothy to help emulsify. Then, slowly drizzle in the olive oil starting with just a few drops while blending continuously. Slowly increase to a thin stream of oil as the mixture thickens. You'll need around ¾ cup oil in total, and a mix of vegetable oil and olive oil works well.
Once the condiment starts to have a consistency similar to the mayonnaise you've known and loved, sprinkle in a dash of salt for seasoning. Chill for at least an hour to allow the emulsifier to set. You don't need to do much else, and you definitely don't need to use any egg yolk. Once the hour's over, pour your maionese de Leite into a jar and store it in the fridge for safekeeping! The milk mayo should last for around a week.
To aid the thickening, consider using an immersion blender as suggested by chef David Leite, who popularized this recipe. If you're struggling to get a good emulsion, you can add a bit of cream to stabilize it. But, be careful to use cream in moderation. If you add too much, the mixture will turn right into butter!
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
